Spiritual Formation for Catholic Educators: Understanding the Need

This article discusses the need for thoughtful programs of spiritual formation for lay educators who staff Catholic schools. The importance of teacher formation in spiritual growth and in knowledge of the Catholic faith and daily living of the Gospel is highlighted

Subject choice as everyday accommodation/resistance: why students in England (still) choose the arts

High school students are expected to make choices about which subjects they study. These choices are not completely open but steered by what is on offer, previous achievement and conversations with teachers, family and friends; choices are patterned by class, gender, able-ness and race. We offer the perspective of subject choice as resistance. The paper use student focus group data from a three year study of the visual and performing arts in thirty schools in England. We show that students chose the arts not simply what it might do for them in the future, but also for what it provided for them in the everyday. We suggest that the quotidian is an important aspect of choice-making which, in the case of arts pedagogies, both accommodates the highly regulated norm but also offers a counter. This analysis points to avenues for further research on subject choice as well as providing important clues for school reform

Languages learning at Key Stage 2: a longitudinal study

This is the final report of a 3 year longitudinal study of the teaching of French, German and Spanish at Key Stage 2, funded from 2006-2009 by the Department for Children Schools and Families. The report covers the attitudes of teachers and children towards languages; the organisation and administration of languages within primary schools; current practice in the teaching of languages; the development of children's intercultural understanding; children's attainment in target language oracy and literacy; and concludes with a discussion of the future sustainability of languages in the primary curriculum and steps needed to secure this

Effects of Sulfates in Water on Performance of Cow-Calf Pairs

Past data from our laboratory showed water sulfate levels of 3,000 ppm reduced performance and health of growing steers during the summer. This experiment, conducted at the South Dakota State University Cottonwood Research Station, evaluated the effects of high sulfate water on cow and calf performance, milk production, and cow reproduction. Ninety-six crossbred, lactating cows (ages 2-13; average calving date of May 1) and their calves were assigned, after stratifying by age, weight, and previous winter management, to one of six pastures (16 cows/pasture) from June 3 to August 26, 2003. Pastures were randomly assigned to one of two water sulfate levels (three pastures/level). Treatments were low sulfate water (LS; average 388 ± 17 ppm sulfates) or high sulfate water (HS; average 2,608 ± 408 ppm sulfates). The HS water was created by adding sodium sulfate to the LS water. Cow 12-hour milk production was estimated by the weigh-suckle-weigh method at the initiation of the trial and again on July 2 and July 29. Initial milk production estimates were used to adjust the July 2 and July 29 estimates, which represented an average of 64 and 91 days into lactation, respectively. Cows on LS gained 15 lb and cows on HS lost 36 lb during the experiment (P = 0.04). Cows on HS tended to loose more (P = 0.10) body condition than LS (-0.27 and -0.48 for LS and HS, respectively). Twelve-hour milk production did not differ on July 2 (P = 0.33; 10.6 and 9.5 lb for LS and HS, respectively) or July 29 (P = 0.48; 11.9 and 11.0 lb for LS and HS, respectively). Calf ADG did not differ (P = 0.71) between treatments. Pregnancy rates (55-d breeding season) were 98% and 94% for the LS and HS treatments, respectively (P = 0.36). Sulfate levels averaging 2,608 ppm in the drinking water of cow-calf pairs during the summer increased cow weight loss and condition loss but did not reduce calf performance or reproduction compared to sulfate levels averaging 388 ppm

Teachers as researchers

Research in educational settings has often been undertaken by a third-person (a term used by Ball, 2000), who sits on the edge of the classroom, maybe moves among the students from time to time, and looks ‘at’ the teaching taking place. The assumption was that an outside observer may see and hear things taking place that the teacher takes for granted,and may notice things occurring that might not have been planned for by the teacher. This approach harks back to research objectivity and a value-free research agenda (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005). However, while an outsider seeks to understand what goes on in the lessons, he/she does not necessarily appreciate or understand some of the relational, historical and affective factors beyond that gaze,and that combine in the interactions, classroom climate and situation ofthat moment. The first-person approach to research in educational settings means the teacher is in a position to probe beneath the observed actions associated with their practice and focus on issues arising through the questioning, evidence gathering and analysing of their actions alongside their students’ learning. First-person research by teachers brings to scholarly research and writing,a perspective direct from the classroom practitioner. Practitioner research, or the first-person approach to research, is referred to as ‘working in the inside’(Ball, 2000). Ball advocated that this form of research provides a valuable contribution to the improvement of teaching as teachers examine in depth some of the puzzles associated with classroom practice

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) envelope quasispecies transmission and evolution in infant rhesus macaques after oral challenge with uncloned SIVmac251: increased diversity is associated with neutralizing antibodies and improved survival in previously immunized animals

BACKGROUND: Oral infection of infant macaques with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is a useful animal model to test interventions to reduce postnatal HIV transmission via breast-feeding. We previously demonstrated that immunization of infant rhesus macaques with either modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) expressing SIV Gag, Pol and Env, or live-attenuated SIVmac1A11 resulted in lower viremia and longer survival compared to unimmunized controls after oral challenge with virulent SIVmac251 (Van Rompay et al., J. Virology 77:179–190, 2003). Here we evaluate the impact of these vaccines on oral transmission and evolution of SIV envelope variants. RESULTS: Limiting dilution analysis of SIV RNA followed by heteroduplex mobility assays of the V1–V2 envelope (env) region revealed two major env variants in the uncloned SIVmac251 inoculum. Plasma sampled from all infants 1 week after challenge contained heterogeneous SIV env populations including one or both of the most common env variants in the virus inoculum; no consistent differences in patterns of env variants were found between vaccinated and unvaccinated infants. However, SIV env variant populations diverged in most vaccinated monkeys 3 to 5 months after challenge, in association with the development of neutralizing antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: These patterns of viral envelope diversity, immune responses and disease course in SIV-infected infant macaques are similar to observations in HIV-infected children, and underscore the relevance of this pediatric animal model. The results also support the concept that neonatal immunization with HIV vaccines might modulate disease progression in infants infected with HIV by breast-feeding

A Comparison of NAL and DSL Prescriptive Methods for Paediatric Hearing-Aid Fitting: Predicted Speech Intelligibility and Loudness

Objective: To examine the impact of prescription on predicted speech intelligibility and loudness for children. Design: A between-group comparison of speech intelligibility index (SII) and loudness, based on hearing aids fitted according to NAL-NL1, DSL v4.1, or DSL m[i/o] prescriptions. A within-group comparison of gains prescribed by DSL m[i/o] and NAL-NL2 for children in terms of SII and loudness. Study sample: Participants were 200 children, who were randomly assigned to first hearing-aid fitting with either NAL-NL1, DSL v4.1, or DSL m[i/o]. Audiometric data and hearing-aid data at 3 years of age were used. Results: On average, SII calculated on the basis of hearing-aid gains were higher for DSL than for NAL-NL1 at low input level, equivalent at medium input level, and higher for NAL-NL1 than DSL at high input level. Greater loudness was associated with DSL than with NAL-NL1, across a range of input levels. Comparing NAL-NL2 and DSL m[i/o] target gains revealed higher SII for the latter at low input level. SII was higher for NAL-NL2 than for DSL m[i/o] at medium- and high-input levels despite greater loudness for gains prescribed by DSL m[i/o] than by NAL-NL2. Conclusion: The choice of prescription has minimal effects on speech intelligibility predictions but marked effects on loudness predictions

Évaluation d’impact visant à améliorer le développement (EIAD) : repenser, remanier et réformer

Version anglaise disponible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI: Impact evaluation for improving development (IE4ID ): rethinking, reshapin

Phase I Safety and Immunogenicity Evaluation of MVA-CMDR, a Multigenic, Recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara-HIV-1 Vaccine Candidate

We conducted a Phase I randomized, dose-escalation, route-comparison trial of MVA-CMDR, a candidate HIV-1 vaccine based on a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara viral vector expressing HIV-1 genes env/gag/pol. The HIV sequences were derived from circulating recombinant form CRF01_AE, which predominates in Thailand. The objective was to evaluate safety and immunogenicity of MVA-CMDR in human volunteers in the US and Thailand.MVA-CMDR or placebo was administered intra-muscularly (IM; 10(7) or 10(8) pfu) or intradermally (ID; 10(6) or 10(7) pfu) at months 0, 1 and 3, to 48 healthy volunteers at low risk for HIV-1 infection. Twelve volunteers in each dosage group were randomized to receive MVA-CMDR or placebo (10∶2). Volunteers were actively monitored for local and systemic reactogenicity and adverse events post vaccination. Cellular immunogenicity was assessed by a validated IFNγ Elispot assay, an intracellular cytokine staining assay, lymphocyte proliferation and a (51)Cr-release assay. Humoral immunogenicity was assessed by ADCC for gp120 and binding antibody ELISAs for gp120 and p24. MVA-CMDR was safe and well tolerated with no vaccine related serious adverse events. Cell-mediated immune responses were: (i) moderate in magnitude (median IFNγ Elispot of 78 SFC/10(6) PBMC at 10(8) pfu IM), but high in response rate (70% (51)Cr-release positive; 90% Elispot positive; 100% ICS positive, at 10(8) pfu IM); (ii) predominantly HIV Env-specific CD4(+) T cells, with a high proliferative capacity and durable for at least 6 months (100% LPA response rate by the IM route); (iv) dose- and route-dependent with 10(8) pfu IM being the most immunogenic treatment. Binding antibodies against gp120 and p24 were detectable in all vaccination groups with ADCC capacity detectable at the highest dose (40% positive at 10(8) pfu IM).MVA-CMDR delivered both intramuscularly and intradermally was safe, well-tolerated and elicited durable cell-mediated and humoral immune responses.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00376090